The publication “Adaptive Cruise Control System: Aspects and Development Trends,” by Winner, Witte, Uhler and Lichtenberg, made public at the SAE International Congress and Exposition in Detroit, Feb. 26-29, 1996, discloses an adaptive distance and speed controller that emits radar waves and receives the partial radar waves reflected from objects. From the received partial radar waves, the distance, relative speed, and azimuth angle of the detected object with respect to the longitudinal vehicle axis can be determined. The speed of the host vehicle is also conveyed to the adaptive distance and speed controller. If a preceding vehicle is detected, the speed of the host vehicle is regulated so as to establish a constant distance; and if a preceding vehicle is not present, the speed of the host vehicle is controlled so as to regulate it to a constant set speed defined by the driver.
Published German patent document DE 101 15 551 discloses a model-assisted lane allocation system for vehicles in which a lane allocation of successive vehicles is performed, the lane allocation being accomplished in model-assisted fashion by way of a frequency distribution of the transverse offsets of sensed radar objects. This method can additionally be used to detect misalignment of the sensor.